In honor of cupid, I decided to make this divine dessert.  It is the first gluten free chocolate cake I ever attempted and has been a favorite ever since.  Rich, moist, and packed with chocolate!  This recipe is great for cupcakes too.

Many restaurants have flourless chocolate cake on the menu.  Some serve it with a berry reduction or ice cream.  Today I made a strawberry reduction to accompany this chocolaty delight.  Raspberries also pair very well with this cake because of their tart flavor. It’s basically pure chocolate on a plate.  Sign me up please!

Ingredients

5 eggs

18 oz dark chocolate baking chips (about 1 1/2 12 oz bags)

1 1/4 sticks butter

Salt

Method

Very lightly grease an 8 or 9 inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.  Pour all 5 eggs into mixer and add a pinch of salt.  Whip on high speed until eggs have become very fluffy (see picture).  This could take 5 to 8 minutes.

Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.  Cut butter into 1 inch chunks and put them in the same bowl with the chocolate chips.  Microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until the chocolate chips have started melting.  Careful not to overheat.  Slowly blend chocolate chips and melted butter together with a rubber spatula.  Then fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs until it’s all blended together.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake at 375*F for 25 minutes.  Let cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Found the sugar cookies recipe for these sweet treats on Pinterest the other day.  Based on a recipe by FlippinDelicious.com.  They came out perfect! So soft and yummy!  A great little cookie for Valentine’s Day, Birthday snacks at school, or just with a cup of tea.  I frosted most of them but left a few without for coffee dipping.

Since it was a new recipe for me I didn’t want to make a full batch, so I made half. It made about 15 cookies.  I adjusted the amount of sugar because I used organic cane sugar which is more potent than white sugar.  The icing I used is different as well. You can find the original Soft Sugar Cookie recipe via this link.  If you are planning on doubling the recipe, make sure to double the flour mix as well.

Ingredients

Makes about 15 cookies

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup organic cane sugar

1 egg

pinch of salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups rice flour blend (see recipe below)

Rice flour blend 

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup potato starch

 Method

Cream butter and sugar together until completely mixed.  Add the egg and mix until it’s all blended together. Then add the vanilla, salt, baking powder, xanthan gum, and rice flour blend.  Mix until combined.  Cover your mixer bowl with plastic wrap and place the dough in the fridge for at least an hour.

Once ready, you can roll the dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap until it’s about 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters.  I wanted them to be round so I rolled the dough into a log, sliced it in close to 1/2 inch slices, and patted them down a little to get that nice round shape.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and cook at 350* F for 8 to 12 minutes. The top of the cookies shouldn’t really brown, just the bottom a bit.  Place tray on a cooling rack and cool for about 20 minutes.

For the Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbs whole organic milk

2 Tbs butter, softened

2 tsp meringue powder

Method

Put first 3 ingredients in mixer bowl, mix on medium/high speed for just a few seconds until they are completely blended.  Use a rubber spatula to bring down any ingredients that may be on the sides of the bowl.  Add meringue powder and mix again just until blended. Spread on cookies and let sit for about 5 minutes to let icing set.

Cheesecake, oh sweet decadent cheesecake.  Add some dark chocolate and now it’s just getting ridiculous!  That basically describes these little bites of heaven.

These are my older daughter’s absolute favorite.  Both my girls love to help me in the kitchen, and cheesecake bites are one of the many things we make together.  I think rolling the cheesecake is their favorite part.  I usually handle the chocolate dipping myself, because I’m not sure they can be trusted with a big cup of melted chocolate!

Ingredients

16 oz Cream Cheese (softened)

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

2tsp vanilla

12oz bag Bittersweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Method

Preheat oven to 375* Beat egg on medium speed until blended. Add softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Keep on medium speed until nearly smooth. Pour into a 2 qt pyrex or baking dish and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until top of cheesecake is a golden color and firm.  Let cool.

When cool, put cheesecake in refrigerator for about an hour then you can start scooping it out and rolling into balls. It’s kind of like making cake pops, but cheesecake softens quickly so it is easier to mash it up and roll it little by little.  Place the cheesecake bites on a wax paper lined tray and place in freezer for at least an hour.

After the bites have been in the freezer for at least an hour, heat 6 oz of chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute.  Stir in coconut oil and mix until all the chocolate is melted.  Now drop in the cheesecake bites one at a time, remove with a spoon, and place back on wax paper lined tray.  Put them in the fridge for 15 minutes to let them set and they’re all yours!